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Posted on Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 6:24 a.m.

EMU student tells police professor 'kicked' him to wake him during class-time nap

By Kyle Feldscher

An Eastern Michigan University student may have been too tired to stay awake in class Monday, but he found the energy to report his professor to campus police for waking him up with what he called a “kick.”

EMU Police Chief Bob Heighes said a student was asleep in a 3 p.m. class in Pray-Harrold Hall Monday with his legs stretched out and a hat pulled down over his eyes. Heighes said the student told police the professor kicked him in the feet to wake him up.

The student reported the incident to police at 6:11 p.m., according to a university crime summary.

Heighes said police interviewed the professor, who said “he believed the student was sleeping and asked him to wake up.”

The investigation into the incident is over because the student does not want to press charges after filing the report, according to Heighes.

Heighes said the student — who apparently is physically larger than the professor he accused of kicking him — simply wants to change in to a different class.

Comments

Woman in Ypsilanti

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 9:53 p.m.

I kind of wonder how hard this professor kicked the student. I mean a gentle kick to the foot is one thing but if he caused the student any real pain, I would consider it to be completely inappropriate.

Michael Reed

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 6:29 p.m.

The school needs to refund (prorated) anything they have collected in fees and then kick him out. Why let him stay and disrupt all the other PAYING CUSTOMERS of the university. He needs to be identified so that employers can skip him and hire people who can stay awake.

UlyssesWrong1

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 6:11 p.m.

LOL hilarious story.
The first sentence is classic.
BTW, a kick to the feet?
Who says you can't get good one on one time at a big school?

BhavanaJagat

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 5:38 p.m.

IT IS SAFE TO KICK TO WAKE UP A SLEEPING PERSON : On numerous occasions, I had a chance to observe Police officers at the University of Michigan, and AAPD waking up sleeping persons by gently kicking on their ankles. It appears to be a standard practice and I think it is the best way to wake up an unknown person who is discovered sleeping. If the subject is known, such as your child or another adult at your home, it is perfectly normal to awaken that sleeping person by tapping on the side of the face. We really do not know as to how a sleeping subject may respond or react when suddenly disturbed. The student deserves the kick and if the Professor had called the Police, the Police Officer would have kicked him in the same way. There is no crime. The student is required to be alert and sleeping on the University property is not allowed.

a2roots

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 3:20 p.m.

Instead of picking another class why doesn't the student pick another school. Total lack of respect and an element that is not needed in class.

G-Man

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 2:35 p.m.

What, change into a &quot;sleeping&quot; class?
Perhaps the dude should go to bed earlier?
I'm telling you, there is nothing worth staying up for past 9-10 pm ...Well, perhaps the Tigers if they are playing decent, but that's it!

pegret

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:59 p.m.

Wah, wah.

actionjackson

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:01 p.m.

The student should have had nuns in the 50's! A foot kick there was just to knock them out from under you until the real beatdown continued.

Hesh Breakstone

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 10:28 a.m.

Sheesh... what's higher education.... coming to these days when you can't even get some Z's in class and very possibly snore loud enough so as to disturb others who are attempting to get some value out of the $100,000 tag that they are running up in student loans....
How are we supposed to be able to successfully &quot;warehouse....&quot; our kids these days when the profs keep kicking them and waking them up???
Kidding of course..... partly.....

Matt Cooper

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 2:09 a.m.

I am amazed and apalled at some of the comments I see here. This student gets kicked by his instructor and here some of you delight in piling on and calling him names. &quot;...6 year old...&quot;, &quot;...entitled brat...&quot;, &quot;What a whiner!&quot;, '...sniveling baby', &quot;...whiney wuss&quot;.
In case you people didn't realise it, what the &quot;professor&quot; did was assault. No college professor/instructor has any right to kick a student for any reason, let alone to wake one up. This sleeping student wasn't disrupting class and this professor had no right to make physical contact with him in this way. A better way to address it would have been to wait until after class and talk to him about it directly.
And for those that seem to want to talk a lot of smack about why the kid was sleeping, I can only say...unless you are paying his tuition, what do you care when, where or why he sleeps, in class or otherwise?
&quot;How about making the most of your education and, you know, NOT sleeping in class, kid?&quot; Maybe he was sleeping after being up very late that night studying? Who are to judge?
&quot;You can tell the ones that Mommy and Daddy are paying for everything.&quot; Maybe he was sleeping because he had to work a midnight shift the night before because he's putting himself thorugh college? Unless you personally have knowledge of his financial status, it's best not to assume you know anything about him including who might be paying his tuition.
Finally, I am a student myself and I pity the professor who decides to kick me for any reason. I am a grown man and nobody has the right to physically assail me regardless of their position within the university.

YpsiVeteran

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 2:51 p.m.

Professor Higbee, making false allegations to the police is a crime and is civilly actionable. Please go to EMU PD and insist they file false reporting charges against this &quot;student,&quot; and then take civil action. If this person wants to &quot;mess with&quot; the bull, give him the horns. You owe it to this poor abused baby, as an educator, to educate him as to the realities of life. : )
Plus, you sound like a cool guy, and it would be fun.

Mark H

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 2:10 p.m.

Dear Matt Cooper,
The student accused the prof of kicking him, but there is no evidence for that allegation. The professor did not kick the student -- the prof woke him up by talking to him. I am the professor, and I did not kick anybody, ever, in any of my classes, no matter what falsehoods this misguided student makes. The EMU police have to hear all complaints made to them, but I very much doubt the professionals there ever imagined that this complaint was a police matter. It never should have gone to the police or the press. Sadly, the student was previously in another EMU office, complaining about me, and was encouraged to make it a police matter, instead of being given useful guidance.
Kicking students is never acceptable, and not done by me or my colleagues at EMU, despite the funny implications of this story as reported. The student was disruptive of the class every day he attended, and had slept in at least one other class.
Mark Higbee, Professor of History, EMU

Laura Jones

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:29 p.m.

I suppose then you have nothing to worry about, so long as you continue to act like a grown man. This boy did not, and a wake up kick (I seriously doubt this was a pain inflicting kick) was in order. As for talking to him after class, why the heck would anyone in that class be forced to endure Mr. Can't Be Bothered's behavior for the entire class? It is simply unacceptable. I would not be surprised to learn the real problem was the ensuing laughter from the class as the sleeper was woken up. Whinging like a great baby afterwards and trying to create a legal problem for the professor is simply a way to deflect any responsibility by the student for his bad behavior. It is a really ugly way to strike back - raising the specter of legal trouble for the teacher.
Your position is really over reaching - whatever the reason for sleeping, it was not the right behavior for that class. We all have problems, we do not, however, need to use them as excuses.

PattyinYpsi

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:28 p.m.

You're a &quot;grown man,&quot; are you? Then it's time to start thinking like a grown man.

YpsiVeteran

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:07 p.m.

Sorry, but &quot;kicking&quot; someone's shoe with your shoe, and we have to assume the word &quot;kicking&quot; is being used very loosely here, in no way constitutes &quot;assault&quot; in Michigan.
&quot;An assault is any intentional, unlawful threat or offer to do bodily injury to another by force, under circumstances which create a well-founded fear of imminent peril, coupled with the apparent present ability to carry out the act if not prevented.&quot;
There is no way this ignorant &quot;student&quot; could even remotely establish any &quot;fear of imminent peril,&quot; and even if he/she had tried, it seems quite likely the prosecutor's office would have &quot;declined&quot; to prosecute.
The definition of &quot;battery&quot; is a bit closer:
&quot;M Civ JI 115.02 Battery—Definition
A battery is the willful or intentional touching of a person against that person's will [by another / by an object or substance put in motion by another person].&quot;
I still have a hard time believing any prosecutor would have agreed to file charges, absent any extenuating circumstances not being reported. Not everything in life that is embarrassing or uncomfortable is a crime. Grow up.

a2citizen

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 2:48 a.m.

&quot;...legs stretched out and a hat pulled down over his eyes....&quot;
What if you are asleep, legs stretched out and the professor &quot;trips&quot; over you?

Shi Schultz

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:45 a.m.

I really don't understand the concept of going to the police and filing a report if you have no intention of pressing charges on someone... kinda pointless to me.

Bubba43

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:02 a.m.

I would have kicked him right OUT of class.

julieswhimsies

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 12:53 a.m.

Wow! A great day for A2.com! I can't stop laughing!...TWO funny pieces in one day! Thanks again, A2.com. ROFL!

Dog Guy

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 12:47 a.m.

A half century ago, student laughter woke me in a 500-level engineering class at U of M. My shirt was wet; the professor was adjusting his trowsers. At the next class meeting another student informed me that the prof had wet my shirt with the water he kept in the lectern.

julieswhimsies

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 12:44 a.m.

THAT old trick?! THIS is the laugh of the day! *note to &quot;sleeping* student* GROW UP!

a2citizen

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 11:04 p.m.

I remember in second grade a nun threw an eraser at a kid.
Throwing it back at her got him expelled.
Man, those nuns didn't take no crap.

BioWheels

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 10:19 p.m.

Poor student. Maybe he should just stay home! What is really the &quot;crime&quot; is that the student is wasting not only his time, but everybody else's time as well. Maybe he should stop wasting not only his money, but the taxpayers money as well by getting out of school and getting a job so that he can help pay for people that really want to be in school! Now that is a novel idea!

Skyjockey43

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 9:58 p.m.

This student and the opinion expressed by Divaa perfectly illustrate how the self esteem movement has failed So miserably. We have raised an entire generation of narcissistic whiny little brats who think the universe revolves only around them. Common courtesy, respect, and basic politeness are foreign concepts to these kids.

Laura Jones

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:20 p.m.

See Newton's 3rd Law.

Matt Cooper

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 2:12 a.m.

&quot;Common courtesy, respect, and basic politeness are foreign concepts to these kids.&quot;
And how exactly does a professor kicking a student demonstrate 'common courtesy, respect and basic politeness'?

LaMusica

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 10:13 p.m.

Sadly, you are right. I was a graduate assistant for 2 years while getting my masters, and the number of kids sleeping/texting/FBing etc was ridiculous. And then they would come to me at the end of the semester with a failing grade asking me for extra credit. One girl even told me I should consider myself lucky she even came to class at all. The entitlement is disgusting, and frankly terrifying knowing these are the kids who are the future of the world.

John Seychel

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 9:45 p.m.

Hmm I am a teacher, and I mark my students absent and ask them to leave for the day who fall asleep or get caught texting or gaming, and what ever else i find disturbing to me or the rest of the class. You should take a hard long look at your low life value system, and wake up and smell the coffee. I don't care who you are, or who is paying your bill, but that attitude will enable you to keep a good job. This &quot;my rights&quot; card is one of the things that inhibit ones thinking and behavior, so if you take my class, you are going to want to sue me to death.

John Seychel

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 9:47 p.m.

Disable you, sorry been a long day.

Dexter Man

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 9:07 p.m.

A knuckle buster with a ruler by a nun kept us from taking naps in class.

Huron 74

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 8:45 p.m.

I don't really think this is news.

leaguebus

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 8:38 p.m.

The student always has the prerogative to cut class. Rather than call Police, a simple apology might have sufficed.

HB11

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 8:13 p.m.

Hmmm, another way to call a cat a kitty..........

AJD

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 8:11 p.m.

Well, I have 4 degrees. My baccalaureate I paid for half and my wonderful parents paid for part and I got a grant for the other part. Degrees 2 and 3 I paid for after completing my baccalaureate degree and degree 4 was completed while I worked full time. Now that we have that out of the way.....I also have taught at EMU. Yes, you pay for the privilege of attending college, but how dare you be so disrespectful to not only a professor, but to your fellow students? If you're too tired to come to class, then don't. Plain and simple. Just because you pay for a class, doesn't mean you deserve to pass it or even stay in it.
Pull up your big-person panties and get a life.

HB11

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 8:15 p.m.

Right on. Total disrespect for others.

Billy Bob Schwartz

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 7:42 p.m.

I had a prof once who used to fall asleep in his own lecture. Don't blame him much. I usually had a cup of coffee before class and caught up on some reading when he nodded off. It was really strange. I always wondered if he had narcolepsy or something. Right in the middle of saying something, he would just nod off. Then he would come to and take up right where he stopped reading to us.
Never thought of kicking the guy, though.

Hmm

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 7:44 p.m.

That sounds like narcolepsy Bill, he should have explained it to his students instead of making you guess what was going on

ChelseaBob

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 7:36 p.m.

I can't wait for this go-getter to graduate so one of us in the business community can hire him!

Laura Jones

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:15 p.m.

Yeah, and when you fire him for sleeping on the job he will sue you for wrongful termination and then sue EMU for failing to properly prepare him for working.

Jay Davenport

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 7:18 p.m.

At some point...we probably should just shut EMU down.

Hmm

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 12:57 p.m.

Ahaha

HB11

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 8:16 p.m.

Oh, because no one would DARE to sleep in a UM class.........

Denise Heberle

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 7:15 p.m.

Mr. Hettel (my sixth grade science teacher) had a GOLF BALL he would whip at snoozers. This was a loooong time ago, but you notice, I remember his name!

djacks24

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 5:49 p.m.

&quot;The investigation into the incident is over because the student does not want to press charges after filing the report, according to Heighes. &quot;
The Campus police should press charges against the student for wasting their time and breathing our oxygen.

treetowncartel

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 5:46 p.m.

Any chance of FOIAing the report so we can identify the student who disengaged his or her self from the learing process? Or is this the kind of victime policy dictates shouldn't be identified?

Jim Osborn

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 7:37 a.m.

since it was EMU police, they will claim the Cleary Act and deny it.

JRW

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 5:34 p.m.

I've got news for everyone. If you are a professor running your class, you have the right to ask a student to leave for being disrespectful. It doesn't matter that the student is paying tuition to be there. There are classroom rules that the prof establishes, and if sleeping during class is considered disrespectful (and I agree that it is regardless of the reason for sleeping), then the prof has a right to ask the student to leave the class. Paying tuition does not give students the right to any behavior in the classrooms.
In this case, if a student falls asleep in a class, then he or she is not engaged at all and cannot be considered participating on any level. Attendance has become a huge issue in college classes, skipping classes is rampant, and there are usually a minimum number of classes students have to attend before penalties are levied in terms of lower grades. Sleeping during the class does not constitute active participation on any level, and the student should either wake up when asked by the prof or leave if they can't stay awake. The prof in this case chose to move the students feet (I doubt it was a kick) to wake him up.
If students are allowed to sleep through a class, then they are gaming the system (being physically present in the room and claiming that they can not be marked absent) and they are showing incredible disrespect, which is something a great number of today's students demonstrate through all of their educational career. Paying tuition is not a free pass for students to behave in any way they see fit in a classroom.

Woman in Ypsilanti

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 9:45 p.m.

When I was a student, I absolutely hated attendance requirements. My thought on that is that if the professor can't make the class interesting enough to make me want to be there and if I could still pass the exams without attending class, it was my choice to skip or go. I was paying for the tuition myself after all so if I chose not to avail myself of every possible resource, it was my prerogative. If a professor didn't respect me enough to allow me to make such decisions and had an attendance requirement, I didn't feel I owed them much in terms of class participation so I would show up but would put the time to a better use (writing letters to friends or doing homework for other classes). I noticed that almost universally the professors with attendance requirements were the bad ones so after a while I would find out about attendance requirements before registering for a class. In that regard, attendance requirements did allow me to make the most of my time in college.

lumberg48108

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 6:51 p.m.

it seems that 99.5% of the comments agree with you
so exactly, who or whom do you have NEWS for?

lumberg48108

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 5:07 p.m.

whats worse? that this &quot;adult&quot; felt the need to report this to police
or
annarbor.com considers this news?

PattyinYpsi

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:22 p.m.

It's the old adage: Dog bites man--not news. Man bites dog--NEWS!
In this case, doofus student &quot;bit&quot; the man by reporting him to the police for absolutely nothing.

HB11

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 8:17 p.m.

It was actually on the morning tv news as well.

MSB10

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 5:04 p.m.

My 5th grade teacher would take kids goofing off by the arm and shake them. Unfortunate, but entertaining for the rest of us. Of course if that were to happen today, the teacher would have heck to pay.

FoxviewFarm

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 4:52 p.m.

Wow. Parents should be happy that they pay tuition for their student to sleep.
How rude...
I'd bet this &quot;kick&quot; was a gentle &quot;dude- you're in class...do you want to be asleep?&quot;
Poor prof...

Will Warner

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 4:01 p.m.

I agree that the student deserved what he got, and to classify it as &quot;assault&quot; is a description in one word of what world has come to. But I must disagree with the dissing of the younger generation. The next generation won my respect when their boots hit the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. I thank them for their service.

Jim Osborn

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 7:34 a.m.

Only a very small percentage of this generation is in or was in the US military. They are quite different. I doubt that this jerk is one of them. For a certain demographic, a larger percentage has been in prison than the service.

Goodphotographer

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 3:18 p.m.

Teachers.....my heroes

Goodphotographer

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 3:16 p.m.

Ok alls well that ends well.
Now for the what ifs:
What if the student had not responded to the kick because of a medical condition?
Teacher: Whew! I thought you were dead!
What if the teacher had checked for a pulse?
Must have been a real good dream. LOL

bunnyabbot

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 3:15 p.m.

students sleeping can still be disruptive to other students around them, some people snore or thrash, I saw it happen in class. The teacher/professor having to stop talking to class to tap or &quot;kick&quot; someone has had to stop b/c of the sleeping person.
Back when I went to EMU it wasn't cellphones, Ipads or Ipods that were the distractions, it was beepers and personal CD players. WHy people would come to class and then sit there with earbuds in is beyond me. I had a lecturer who asked a guy on the first day of class to turn his music down. The kid (jerk) told the guy to leave him alone and teach the class. The lecturer became deflated, after 10 mins of hearing the music continue I stood up and said that if the kid didn't comply for the rest of the 50 people he could just leave. I got a standing ovation. The kid left and didn't come back the next time. Now you'd have to worry about someone going postal! Almost always people are afraid to call other people out on their bad or inappropriet behavior.
I remember my dad saying that in college all the guys wore slacks and white shirts with ties and dress shoes, no one would have disrespected others by wearing &quot;weekend&quot; clothes to class.

Michelle09

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:50 p.m.

This story is ridiculous I'll admit, however from another point of view, I can't totally blame the student. This new generation has been brought up in a society of, if someone does something to you, sue them or press charges, no questions asked. That has been reflected in the changing discipline methods over the decades where teachers were once allowed to spank children, or put them in a &quot;dunce&quot; hat, they now can just simply send them out of the classroom without expressing any physical or verbal humiliation towards the child. Of course college is different than grade school, however this student, felt as if he were violated in a way that has not previously been allowed in his K-12 years. Obviously this professor did not mean any ill will towards the student, as I am sure he just felt disrespected by having someone sleep through his lecture, but in this &quot;sue-happy&quot; society, he has to be aware that any minute action can be taken to the extreme by this new generation of students. I'm glad the student dropped the charges and didn't waste anymore of the police and administration's time with this.

towncryer

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 3:54 p.m.

And at AAPS, you can't even send them out of the classroom thanks to Ms. Green and her new plan to reduce the discipline gap!

Dr. Fate

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:39 p.m.

Kyle, what type of shoe and color and shoe size was the teacher wearing? Were they laced, buckled, or slip ons? And how about follow up, how many band-aids were used by either person in this &quot;assault?&quot;

tom swift jr.

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:29 p.m.

I'm just not sure who we're supposed to point and laugh at... the student, the prof, the reporter, or AA.com.
Perhaps you need a joke section here (sort of like the little sections in Reader's Digest, Humor in Uniform kind of thing (do they still do that?)).

Andrea Zastrow

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:36 p.m.

Maybe a &quot;Doofus of the week&quot; award?

demistify

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:22 p.m.

Why did AnnArbor.com post this under the heading &quot;Crime&quot;?

seldon

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:32 p.m.

They have a hitherto-unsuspected sense of humor?

kdadnick

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:11 p.m.

There is an issue of disrespect here -- if the student had his hat pulled down over his eyes this was obviously not a case of just falling asleep, but an attempt to tune the prof out. However, in this ridiculously litigious society, contact from the prof toward the student is a really dumb move as well. A ruler slapped on the desk, a few books dropped on the floor beside the kid....would have accomplished the same thing.
My technique probably would have been to instruct the students to write about what had just been discussed. No late assignments accepted. No paper, no grade.
The bottom line is that someone has paid for the student to be there....whether it is the university on scholarship money, parents (as some suggest it must be), gov't grants (which means it's my tax dollars) or the kid himself because he is working to put himself thru school, and he is the only one ultimately to suffer by sleeping in class...
But it's still disrespectful.

yourdad

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 4:39 p.m.

I like the creativity! This only happend once that I know of but a large lecture hall on the first floor of pray harrold was emptied by a creative math instructor who used to ride his bicycle to school everyday. The hundred or so students were told to report to the deans office to sign a class participation form (legal pad) for the day leaving 2 students sleeping. Apparently he was reprimanded for his creativity because he would often ask one of those 2 students for permission on routine items for the remainder of the semester. Go Eagles/Hurons! Class of '93

genetracy

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:48 p.m.

Before all is said and done, the ACLU will get ahold of this case and before we know it, like kindergarten, nappy time will be required during class for all college students.

interested

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 3:21 p.m.

Actually, children haven't slept in Kindergarten for years...unless they were in the old EDO program offered by AAPS. Since the afternoon was childcare, it was required of the teachers to provide nap time.

YouAreNotAlwaysRight

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:48 p.m.

Why even waste your money to sleep in class? You can do that at home for free...

Billy Bob Schwartz

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 7:38 p.m.

Nah. He probebly lives at home and his Ma would drop kick him through the picture window.

KINGofSKA

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:44 p.m.

Kicking a student is one thing, but the way he was blatantly sleeping is another. I agree with the other commenters about having respect for being in the classroom.

worldchamp

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:30 p.m.

PRESS CHARGES, really. Don't the police have better things to do than investigate a Prof. that is trying to educate our Utes. Please, what a non- issue.

RunsWithScissors

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:27 p.m.

Kyle! We need more reportage!
How the police officer kept a straight face while taking this report?
Which class this student was participating in (err, sleeping through): Our Litigious Society perhaps?
What, if anything, has the student learned from this lil' episode?

Dave Bass

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:19 p.m.

My shop teacher threw an eraser at a couple of us for goofing off. It got our attention which is what we should have been doing anyway.

81wolverine

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 7:40 p.m.

I can beat that. My junior high shop teacher back in the 70's once threw a ball peen hammer pretty fast that ricocheted off the bench right between two guys that were talking while he was. They didn't talk again in class after that. He also carried around a paddle with holes drilled in it that he used to &quot;motivate&quot; students during clean-up time with. No one reported him to the police or principal.

Dr. Fate

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:35 p.m.

My biology teacher did the same, but we as the students actually respected him so no one minded. These days, one of those embarrassing puffs of chalk dust would probably caused a pseudo-psychogenic allergic reaction and lawsuit.

xmo

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:11 p.m.

I am surprised that nobody has taken the side of the student?
After all, The student is paying for his education and the professor should make the class interesting enough to stay awake!
I think the school should force the professor should give the sleeping student an &quot;A&quot;.
The sleeping student might as well get ready for the real world!

Hmm

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:07 p.m.

I get your joke and voted up

Brad

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:03 p.m.

Student athelete? That might explain how he could file a report, not press charges and then go unnamed in the article.

Hmm

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:08 p.m.

Well EMU is no U of M when it comes to sports but you could be right

Rob

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:01 p.m.

Hey now, haven't any of you commenters ever been to college?
Those early-morning classes are a real bear sometimes.
Oh... Wait a minute...

tomnspats

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 5:39 p.m.

Hey have any of you been in the real world / You know get up in the morning and go to work no matter what you did the night before.Suck it up punks.Try pulling a hat over your eyes and sleeping on a job , see how long you last.I agree with Ignatz universal conscription would give these crybabies a much needed wake up call

tom swift jr.

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 12:44 p.m.

So now this is just a &quot;news of the weird&quot; site?

Billy Bob Schwartz

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 7:35 p.m.

Seems to me that the police should have said somethiing like, &quot;What??!! Are you nuts??!! Get out of here!!&quot;

notnecessary

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:41 p.m.

If anything -- I think it's good for these sorts of stories to be posted -- they how ridiculous our younger generation is for even thinking about going to the police for this. However, this just seems to be how a lot of people act this age. And I'm not that old...under 30 myself.

Paula Gardner

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:32 p.m.

Admit it: You liked reading it!
Seriously, though, take a look at our &quot;homepage,&quot; www.annarbor.com, for more news coverage of issues like the resident reaction over closing Ann Arbor fire departments and another EMU story - on its finances.

Mike

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 12:34 p.m.

If he was asleep how does he know it was the professor that kicked him? This kid belongs out of EMU and maybe should enroll in a sleep study..............

Hmm

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 12:33 p.m.

Why are the police involved in this?

Hmm

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 7:43 p.m.

I was asking rhetorically Julie but thanks

Julie Lee

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:34 p.m.

'The student reported the incident to police at 6:11 p.m., according to a university crime summary.'

Ignatz

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 12:23 p.m.

This is a situation that would likely not have occurred if this country had universal conscription. Such issues would have already been addressed in basic training.

Billy Bob Schwartz

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 7:33 p.m.

A nation of robots? I prefer that parents act like (and as) parents and raise their kids to know how to treat others with respect and behave decently in school. Dozing off in a lecture is one thing. Sprawling back, hat over eyes, legs sticking out in front of you? I don't think that requires military service. It seems more like it requires a good, swift kick.
I can't decide if I will be deleted if I use the term jerk, so I won't use it.

Divaa

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 12:15 p.m.

University degree is a privilege that we as students pay for. This is not public education where it is mandatory that we pay attention. Many college students work full-time and have families...maybe he was asleep....in college u cannot make someone pay attention....if they are disruptive ask them to leave...kicking someone is assault. how many of you have at least one college degree?

YpsiVeteran

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 3 p.m.

Divaa, no one &quot;pays for&quot; a degree. You pay for the opportunity to EARN a degree. Your attitude is EXACTLY why many college degrees, and the people who hold them, are worthless today; people like you think that paying tuition entitles you to a degree, and colleges graduate anyone who pays, just to get the money.

julieswhimsies

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 12:48 a.m.

I have two.

townie28

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 12:04 a.m.

Taxpayers are paying more than you are for education at state supported. If a student can't be respectful, stay home.

John Seychel

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 9:37 p.m.

What school did you go to? hmm I am a teacher, and I mark my students who fall asleep or get caught texting or gaming, and what ever else i find disturbing to me or the rest of the class. You should take a hard long look at your low life value system, and wake up and smell the coffee. I don't care who you are, or who is paying your bill, but that attitude will enable you to keep a good job. This &quot;my rights&quot; card is one of the things that inhibit ones thinking and behavior, so if you take my class, you are going to want to sue me to death.

just a voice

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 9:20 p.m.

if someone falls asleep in class, that is very likely to become a distraction for the professor or some of the students. It is not an innocuous activity, though it may seem.

djacks24

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 6:53 p.m.

I have at least one college degree and I used to hate when students played around, talked during lectures, didn't show up then asked for notes, slept, ate, played with any electronic gizmo popular at that time. Any instructor with any self respect and respect for other students would ask that student to step out. Furthermore, I worked full time and went to school part time. It took me more than twice as long to graduate as it should have, but I wanted to get the most of my education and not just get through it. These heavily burdened students take the burdens on themselves, so it isn't everybody else's problem to let them skate through.

yourdad

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 4:30 p.m.

The self chosen title says it all.... 2 1/2 degrees and a good career to go with them. Definition of DIVA
1a : prima donna 1 b : prima donna 2
2: a usually glamorous and successful female performer or personality ; especially : a popular female singer

Dr. Fate

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 2:30 p.m.

Divaa, you're right in that it's not unusual for a student to be so exhausted (or bored) that they fall asleep in class, but it's still an insult to any professor and deserves whatever little encouragement (or embarrassment ) to better stay awake next time or study/sleep outside of class. Calling a kick in the shoe (which I highly doubt was of the MMA or soccer kick type) an assault in this context is just plain abuse of the system at best and minimizes serious assaults at worst. I have closed my eyes for extended periods in some lectures but blaming the teacher for calling you on it would be like blaming a cop for give you a ticket for speeding. Responsibility for self is something we have to teach ourselves.
&quot;There's one thing you don't know about me, my dear. My PhD is in... dance!&quot; - Dr. Cockroach, Monsters vs Aliens
No, actually, mine's an M.D. I just wish it was in dance.

jcj

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:06 p.m.

Divaa ?
What percentage of your &quot;education&quot; are you paying for?

seldon

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 12:47 p.m.

I have three, and I think the professor did the right thing.

justcurious

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 12:27 p.m.

Oh please...

Ignatz

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 12:25 p.m.

It's called respect. Just because you don't have to be somewhere and you pay for the privilege of being educated doesn't mean you get to show disrespect. If you can't hack it, don't do it.

vg550

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 11:55 a.m.

Oh my gosh ...&quot;whiney wuss&quot; is right! What a big cry baby.... sounds like a spoiled &quot;entitled&quot; kid to me.

vg550

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 1:11 p.m.

Sorry for the confustion Enso. I was using quotations in two different ways ... quoting the words whiney wuss and then being a little sarcastic in &quot;entitled&quot;. In my opinion, sleeping in class was being disrespectful to the professor and fellow classmates... yet the student did just that and felt it was ok to do so.

Middle America

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 4:48 a.m.

Correcting someone is not judging them.

jcj

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:03 p.m.

Enso what entitles you to judge vg550?

Enso

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 12:51 p.m.

entitled means you are entitled to something. an entitlement is something you worked for and are thus entitled to it. Social Security is an entitlement. your 401K is an entitlement. I'm not sure you know that you are using that word incorrectly.

rs

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 11:43 a.m.

Sounds like the student is just trying to get even with the prof for embarrassing him in class. What a generation sniveling babies we have coming up.

Urban Sombrero

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 11:40 a.m.

I'm sure the professor will be broken hearted if this entitled brat gets teansferred to another section. What a whiner! &quot;Waah! He kicked my feet!&quot;. How about making the most of your education and, you know, NOT sleeping in class, kid?

Urban Sombrero

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 9:24 p.m.

**transferred**
Typed this on my phone and, obviously, autocorrect failed to do its job. Oopsie!

justcurious

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 11:39 a.m.

Sounds like this &quot;student&quot; wanted to show total disrespect for his instructor. Perhaps he should have been &quot;kicked&quot; out of the classroom totally. He says he wants to be in a different class, but who would want him?

Mick52

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 10:30 p.m.

That's one thing about EMU, you don't get a lot of time to dis-enroll and not pay. In the spring summer semesters, its like one or two classes.

EyeHeartYpsi

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 6:38 p.m.

@ greg too: Probably because he missed the add/drop deadline which was last Friday. He'd have to pay for the dropped class and the new one. Claim you were assaulted and maybe you get out of it.

greg, too

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 5:12 p.m.

And if he just wants a different class, then why tell the police?

Jeffersonian Liberal

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 11:39 a.m.

You can tell the ones that Mommy and Daddy are paying for everything. If they're not asleep they're constantly playing with the damn phone.

kdadnick

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:47 p.m.

SOME moms and dads help their kids pay for school so the kids don't have to rely on gov't assistance or go into significant debt that they'll struggle with for years.
Your generalization is as bad as one who says everyone on gov't assistance is uneducated and/or lazy.

jcj

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:01 p.m.

Or let into college when they should not have graduated high school!

king

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 11:27 a.m.

My eighth grade teacher would threaten to kiss us if we fell asleep...

a2citizen

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 10:43 p.m.

What she good looking?

kdadnick

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 1:43 p.m.

Laugh out loud funny! Thanks for helping this day get off to a GREAT start!

ChrisW

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 : 11:22 a.m.

My old physics teacher used to throw erasers at us if we fell asleep. Who knew I could've had him arrested?

Jeff Frank

Thu, Sep 20, 2012 : 8:39 p.m.

My high school drafting teacher took the eraser throwing to the next level... he made sure it was wet. Saw him throw his massive ring of keys at the back wall one day to wake up the chronic sleeper... I think that one was the beginning of the end for ol' Mr. Gauthier. lol